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Reinder in Maastricht, the Netherlands to James at Occupy Finsbury Square London
December 4th, 2011

James, Matt, Anna, Elles, Bram, and all people that it may concern, here some new ideas for making progress ...

Mixed messages come from and about Occupy. Support for Demotech work is not granted. Some people in Occupy block funding of this work and travel done on behalf of ideas sprouting from Occupy.  Some money is allocated, but about half of the cost still has to be agreed upon by the GA.

The big problem -not only for Occupy- is the get consensus on  projects still in an imaginary state. Projects that people may like, but can not really completely picture. Even when demonstrated in reality (like the DemoUnits in London), the feeling of being unsure lingers on. And blocks participation.

Very understandable, it is one of the consequences of Direct Democracy. Yet, we want progress. There are very inspiring options in development of technology that would fit Occupy perfect. Our first success is the DemoUnits. The second success could be the small stove to make the tents habitable during the winter. And there is much more already that we discussed that could be done.
Dreams to be killed in Direct Democracy? Let's explore ways to gain freedom, financially and program-wise.

There is a need to think about new roads to go ahead. I like to draw up a list of ideas and everybody is invited to add up to it.

1. Who should fund the DemoUnits and has an interest in them?
They are there in London now, now there are people who are well trained to make more DemoUnits and/or to instruct others to make DemoUnits.
The need for Crowd Communication is clear: the recent austerity measures ask for an answer and the population has to be mobilized for an alternative.
Who is in charge of efforts to mobilize? Which political party, which unions, what other social movements? When we indicate  such groups and find their contact persons, then we can address them with a clear message: Lots of Result with Little Cost (compared to all other means that they already use). We offer to construct DemoUnits for them, when they sponsor us.
Matt and James can bring together the activists from Occupy they trust for their ability to work it out.

2. Matt and James did a good job in training a group of people in Maastricht (Frietjes Meeting) in a very short time in using the Direct Democracy Sign Language . They could continue to do so in invited and paid-for workshops.

3. Matt and James could come over to the Netherlands. With Maastricht as a base they could give the same workshop also in the Netherlands. A big percentage of meetings of all types of organizations is ineffective and people are desperate for doing it better. Consultants make big money out of that. Little doubt that in the Netherlands a start could be made.

4. Matt and James would be very welcome at Demotech to work on the many projects that the Occupy movement needs so much. Shelter and heating now for the present Occupy camps. But also a creditable answer to poverty. The three of us can speed up concrete action on a number of stagnating Demotech projects: effective stoves, water storage in 3W-villages, the rope pump, the hydraulic water ram, reading light for study: the NightReader, then very important for the West and poor countries: good eco-sanitation.

Matt and James already know their way around at Demotech. Staying at Demotech could be at no cost and reasonable comfort as they already experieced and that can still be made better. Some income for their contribution could come from yes: Occupy London, more direct from Anna's parties, as little is needed, it should be doable. But income as described in point 3. is most easy and assured to get.

5. More ideas are welcome!

For now I just mail this to the people that got my recent mails on the Occupy subject.
I look forward to your response.

Reinder

Reinder from the Demotech Lab in Maastricht, the Netherlands to James at Occupy Finsbury Square in London UK.
2d December, 2011

James, hello!

Thanks for the video link. There should be more of this stuff. I asked Elles to get contact info, name and adress from people actually making video of the demonstration. Maybe she did it.

The shaky video footage can be 'calmed down' with a special video editing program. That would increase it value a lot. Same for probably all video's taken with small camera's. You know about that? The people who edit video for you know about that? Wil they do it?

Now Program Steps:

1. Your confirmation that money for the project must come from donations and not from your own pocket. See for this the mail I wrote about it to you.

2. Here in Maastricht I have to make up the list of cost made for the first two project items (visit with Stefan + 4 towers), the second item: making with you and Matt the 20 towers, and then the third item: cost involved with the stove and my eventual second visit.
I'll notify you about the numbers that come up.

3. Here in Maastricht I take some time to take up again the stove project conditionally: there should be explicit interest from the GA for application. You and your friends have to do some promotion with the help of the images I did sent. Then let me know the results. That could be done in two days time (Sunday, Monday)is my estimate. If I come with the stove, it should be a working prototype, not the mockup that I already made. For that job I need a few days.

I send you this for a start and will add up to it later. Now I just need to do other things.

Please also comment on the mail about alternative solutions.

Reinder
 

Hello, all of you! Really exciting to experience this Occupy London site with its "Direct Democracy". Being around here to introduce the DemoUnits (that get an enthusiastic response) and attending some of the General Meetings, I really admire these people.and the way they run this place.

This encampment exists only since three weeks, and already now it is running so well. It is certainly not sweet and easy. There is a lot of shouting, conflict and swearing. There are the very funny people that roam around here that otherwise you would only see in Fellini movies. There are the not-then-over-my-dead-body highly committed people, working all out to get this Occupy camp up and running. And there too is a majority of a people that are just there.
However in the General Meetings you do not see these differences. I see the full participation of everyone. Meetings can be terrible, these Geeral Assembly meetings are great to experience.

Just now one of the all-out activists comes to the Media tent, where I am typing this mail to you. He tells me that his proposal has just been accepted. People here agree to fund that three people from here, me included, will drive to Maastricht coming Friday, to return after one week back to London. In the mean time there is money allocated for twenty DemoUnit towers. We get the money when we deliver.

I enclose some pictures of one of the meeting. Look at the hand signs. That is the tool that makes these meetings so special and so effective.

Greeting from a great place to be!

Reinder

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